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Doing a 25 point build for a wizard, and I'm oscillating from dump stats and high int, to slightly lower int but no "bad" stats
So my initial build was:
Str 9 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 20 (human +2) Wis 8 Cha 7
my biggest concern is actually the Wis penalty.
So my alternate is:
Str 9 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 19 (Human +2) Wis 10, cha 8
Is it worth it to have overall better stats then one great stat?
Is it worth it to have overall better stats then one great stat?
It depends on what you are.
For a wizard? I'd take the 20 starting Int 10 times out of 10, even in 15 point buy.
A lot of it also has to do with how long the character is expected to contribute.
An int of 19 (17 base +2 racial) is -1 to save DCs early on but from 5-8 pulls even. From 9-12 he falls behind, etc.
Basically you need to decide on your opportunity cost. The cost associated with a 20 is typically a bad Charisma (you aren't the face character anyway), a bad strength (strength drain can be problematic but I think a 9 on a medium sized character is adequate to handle typical gear load) and a poor wisdom score (wizards have good will save progression but consequences of a failed will save can be very problematic).
Lowering you Int down one point lowers your Save DCs down 1 (which is mainly useful for SoD/SoL and evocation spells) but it also comes with the consequence that your saves are 5% lower than base.
Honestly though with a 25 PB, I don't really see the point of bumping Dex to 16 with a standard wizard. It's unlikely your AC will remain great long term but good will saves are always relevant. I personally would consider lowering dex, keeping Int at 20 and boosting Wisdom with the cost savings.
lower str to 7,
You can carry everything you need with that.
Then raise wisdom to 11...
It really depends on whether your GM is using Encumbrance by Weight and how soon it's realistic to have a Bag of Holding/Haversack show up.
23 pounds or less for a light load isn't very much and I'm personally extremely reluctant to go with a medium load or more on a wizard (who benefits from being able to run away).
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Carrying capacity can also be augmented with Ant Haul, easily placed on the spell list, and prepared when nessesary. Still It seemed to be 9 Str was more favourable, as strength draining undead / poisons are more common then wisdom/cha based ones. (not that one point is going to save the day.) Still I think I got my answer, 20 int is the place to be.
Unless your DM is purposefully altering encounters or bumping up CR's to make things more difficult you should be fine without having to resort to dump stats.
Personally I am not fond of dump stats. It leaves you open and extremely vulnerable to spells that might otherwise be cast at other folks. A strength of 7, for example, leaves you open to strengh attacks. Low/no strength severely hampers your ability to function. Same for any stat really.
Run around with a bunch of dump stats to boost your one trait and you start falling prey to all manner of things that you might otherwise not. Afterall- if you are weak as a wet noodle it seems logical to hit you with that strength drain.. If you look normal, then they might target someone else (like a fighter type). Dump stats just make for obvious weaknesses to be exploited.
-S
Str - 14
Dex - 16 (inc racial bonus)
Con - 12 (inc racial penalty)
Int - 18 (inc racial bonus)
Wis - 10
Cha - 10
makes for a nice CMD and has surprised a few creatures with her mighty elvencraft composite longbow of frost :-)Was hit by a roper recently and lost 6 points of strength. Was able to keep going (we had no lesser restoration/restoration available at the time).
What feats did you take? And what school did you specialize?
